


The Art of Losing

by jstrattford



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jstrattford/pseuds/jstrattford
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble about Harry meeting Liam's roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Art of Losing

**Author's Note:**

> This is a [drabble](http://arie-172.tumblr.com/post/117887798822/pairing-niall-harry-w-c-2-4k-more-so-harry) I wrote a while ago. Again, thanks to those who are reading. Much love.

“So,” Harry starts, dragging out the word slowly. There’s a quizzical expression along with his tilted brow when he continues, but his voice is etched with more intrigue than confusion now. “He’s strange?” he hums out, smiling sheepishly at the way Liam's face flicks from neutral to pained.

“That doesn’t even cover it,” Liam breathes in a tired voice, turning to face Harry slightly. “He’s not ordinary,” Liam says decidedly, nodding to himself as if coming to the resolution that it sounds about right.

“Oh,” Harry frowns a bit. There’s a stream of consciousness mingling around him each time they have this conversation, and to say that there isn’t some slight irritation on Liam’s part every time they touch on the subject would be a lie. The problem is, Harry doesn’t exactly know why. Or rather, he knows what he considers to be the basics, but not enough to understand Liam’s crazed reasoning each time _he_ comes up their conversation.

Harry nods, can't help the amused tone as he says, “that’s alright,” shrugging and putting on a slight smile as he follows Liam like a shadow. “I enjoy different,” he adds cheerfully.

“Yeah?" Liam subtly eyes Harry, doubtful and surprised at the revelation.

"Yeah," Harry answers, toothy grin showing Liam just how much of an accurate statement it is.

"Alright,” Liam nods but his tone is dripping in reluctance after his small pause. “But listen…don’t take offense if he doesn’t talk to you. He’s just, uh, a little _strange_ ,” he emphasizes heavily.

“Is he?” Harry grins widely, all the more intrigued. “Nothing wrong with that,” he pauses, smile losing some of its width when a thought comes to his brain. “So is that why you’ve never invited me inside? Because he’s strange?” Harry presses, voice sharp and with lips that are tugged up gently so that all that remains is a tiny smirk gracing his face. 

“That’s exactly it, mate,” Liam groans, hand firmly on the doorknob. He clears his throat then, as if to indicate the seriousness of the subject matter, almost like he's trying to hide his tired tone by swallowing it back when he advises, “So just try to not take too much notice of him, okay?”

“Alright,” Harry frowns at that but nods in understanding, unable to control the way the beating of his heart increases when they enter the apartment. He doesn’t get nervous but he is right now, bopping a little on his toes, as if trying to psyche himself up.

Admittedly, he’s been dying to meet this guy, Niall, ever since Liam told him about his roommate’s strange behavior, which at the very top of the list seemed to be his inability to stop playing video games, that if Harry would say, wasn’t _that_ strange. But maybe that was because to him normalcy was a term he used with very loose meanings.

Liam lets out a soft sigh, cutting off Harry’s thoughts.

“Stand aside, he’s here,” Liam instructs when he whispers to Harry, as they slowly shift their way over to the living room where there’s a blond guy sitting back on a couch and pressing his controller in an excited motion.

Oh, _right_. That must be him then.

“Hey. Just came for my books,” Liam waves a hand but the blond doesn’t even glance at him. His eyes are full blown and they remain on the screen, looking a bit fervent with the way he’s lips are pursed together in his concentration, like he’s just seen the most amazing thing to ever grace his sight, but it’s quite exciting, Harry thinks. Maybe a little fascinating, too.

“This is Harry. That’s Niall,” Liam says nonchalantly, getting rid of the potential awkward introductions, and at that Niall only nods, mumbling a “hi,” but keeps his eyes on the screen still.

 _See, I told you_ , Liam tilts his head in response to Harry but mumbles out a “I’ll go get my books,” leaving Harry alone as he stands watching Niall play furiously.

There’s silence then, the only noise audible being Liam’s footsteps, as Harry stands in the room with his hands in the pocket of his jeans, waiting for any reaction out of Niall. Not that Harry had been expecting there to be any attempt at small talk from Niall’s part, though, but he still waits for one, just in case.

Nothing happens for long enough that Harry starts to wonder if maybe this is it. If perhaps the slight disappointment residing in his chest can be blamed on something less silly. That is, until Niall lets out a small chuckle that fills the room.

“Sit down,” he says, laughter meshed in his voice but keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

“Thanks,” Harry replies, confused, but takes the seat next to Niall anyway. It’s still a bit strange because Niall hasn’t really taken a second glance at him or shown that he’s at all interested in interacting with Harry, but it’s a lot better than just standing there, Harry figures. And if he’s honest, he quite likes the unfamiliarity of such a strange situation too.

Harry leans forward, resting his chin on his free hand, watching Niall play in his dark blue hoodie, noticing how they do fantastic wonders to his bright blue eyes.

 _What do you do? How long have you known Liam? Do you fancy a cuddle?_ The endless questions are there but it’s like there’s a zipper covering Harry’s mouth because even if he really wants to speak, the words won’t come out, which never happens. Maybe it’s because he’s aware of the stories that Liam has given him about Niall, or because he knows that for Niall this is pretty much as good as they’ll get to starting up a conversation, but the thought is still a bit discouraging.

 _Well. That's it_ , Harry thinks, feeling a bit foolish for the first time. But just when he’s about to give up, Niall clears his throat, the sound travelling easily through the room.

“You want to give it a go?” he asks, breaking contact for once to look at Harry, a smile that’s barely hanging on his lips but still suits him very nicely.

“I – ” Harry starts slowly but on cue, a voice barreling into the quietness of the room interrupts him.

“Ready,” calls Liam as he walks back over to them, voice losing some of its cheerfulness when he sees Harry sitting next to Niall, blinking furiously as if he can’t believe his eyes.

“Uh, Harry?” Liam questions sounding genuinely perplexed, shuffling closer with caution, almost like he’s had enough experiences with Niall to know that it’s best to approach the situation this way.

“Niall asked me to play,” Harry answers, sitting up straightly, not missing the way Liam’s brows rise up to his hairline.

“ _You did?_ ” Liam gapes at Niall but Niall shrugs like it’s no big deal, which if Harry thinks about it, it shouldn’t necessarily be.

“He was bored out waiting for you. I thought it’d be the nice thing to do,” is what Niall responds in a casual manner, but there’s something slightly off in his voice that lets Harry know that it isn’t such a regular occurrence, especially if Liam’s looking at them with wide eyes.

Liam clears his throat. “That’s…reassuring,” he replies, dazed. He hasn’t taken his eyes off Niall, but Niall’s too preoccupied with continuing his game to notice, only turning once more to meet Harry’s eyes.

“So how about it?” he asks, and Harry has no idea if this is an appropriate moment to fall “in like”, but he thinks he might be doing it anyway, nodding wholeheartedly with his cheeks hurting because his smile is much too wide for its own good.

*

Niall is good but the thing is Harry’s just better. He’s never played a game of Fifa in his life before, but he’s just got a way with playing, effortlessly beating Niall not once but twice. And by the way Niall lets out a groan, Harry knows that this also isn't a normal occurrence. 

When Harry looks back at him, Niall is looking straight back, eyes searching Harry's furiously. Harry blinks when he catches Niall’s eye but doesn’t look away.

“I… _I lost_.” Niall’s scrunched up confused face sounds as lost as his voice. There’s a strange amount of satisfaction seeping out of Harry’s body, as he passes Niall back the controller.

Niall frowns harshly. “What are you, a wizard or something?”

“Charming aren’t you,” Harry grins a bit, curls flopping in front of his eyes when he swats them away. “It’s just beginners’ luck.”

“But I never lose,” Niall replies, stunned, his face turning serious again. He looks at his hands with a frown, the lines on his face appearing to try to register his reason for losing.

Harry shrugs at that, lets out a content huff and says, “it happens to the best us, mate.“

Niall remains quiet, arching a brow when he looks at Harry again, staring intently at his face, as if he’s trying hard to read what’s going on inside his head. And for some reason that’s a little unsettling to Harry, coughing into his hand as he stands quickly, walking to the door where Liam’s standing.

“Nice meeting you, Niall,” he waves, a bit flustered, even more so when he hears, “yeah…Harry,” because wow, he actually remembered his name. 

“Didn’t I tell you?” is the first thing Liam says once they’re out, adding, “Strange, isn’t he?”

“He’s – ” Harry hesitates, swallowing thickly. “Something else,” he answers, taking a deep breath and refusing to let the hope linger in his chest.

*

Harry spends all day in his classes thinking of Niall. Not even like a fleeting thought either, but more or less through all of his lectures, and it doesn’t exactly help that he’s reminded of him again the moment he sees Liam, even worse as soon as Liam opens his mouth.

“Niall asked about you,” Liam tells him, voicing the statement with as much confusion as Harry’s feeling, but he keeps his face indifferent, managing a casual shrug.

“Why?” Harry feels his mouth going dry, sensing a slight undertone in Liam’s revelation.

“To ask you out on a date,” Liam says with a straight face, immediately sending Harry’s stomach to bits.

“Did he?” Harry’s breath hitches in his throat. “I mean, really? He told you that?” he asks, voice more hopeful than needed.

“No, not really,” Liam says, frowning when Harry’s faces falls quickly but shaking his head to erase any trace of it. “He just kept going on and on about wanting a rematch. Says you caught him off guard the other day.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Harry’s mumbles, trying to keep his voice even, but he’s not exactly sure how convincing he is when he sees the slight twitch on Liam’s lips.

“Yeah,” Liam answers, sounding intrigued now. “You know for him that’s like a proper wedding proposal.”

“Really?” Harry replies, confused, letting the features of his face calm. Liam nods.

“That’s an interesting courtship ritual – I’ll give him that,” Liam shrugs, turning so that when his face is in Harry’s direction Harry can see the way his lips are tugged upwards again. Fuck, Harry almost wants to swat that look off his face, but he is providing him with some useful information, though.

“So what do you want me to tell him? Lie?” Liam asks eventually, but the smile he’s got shows just how well he knows Harry that he can already anticipate the next words from him.

But Harry pauses, letting the silence drag on, only shaking his head when Liam frowns at him, letting out in a pleased voice then, “I’ll be there.”

*

Harry doesn’t think that it’s a coincidence that the day Liam invites Harry over again Liam _magically_ has to go out, forcing a rather convincing smile that’s paired with an insincere “sorry,” a glint in his eye that’s almost impossible for Harry to miss.

Still, though. Harry can’t say that he isn’t slightly grateful. Perhaps just a bit surprised at first, but falling into a comfortable vibe soon after because regardless of what Liam says about Niall, there’s something very engaging about him.

“Christ,” Niall mumbles every time he loses, running a hand through his hair. “I meant to do that,” he argues, but it sounds strangled each time, producing a beaming Harry to smile at him all the more widely.

He’s not even sure what they’re supposed to be doing. If it’s just one more game and then Harry should leave, or if he wants keep going until Harry looses, but the thing is that whatever they’re doing is nice. A mixture of strange and unorthodox but still nice, Harry decides.

Harry’s beginning to really enjoy himself when Niall lets out a load groan, frowning when he looks at Harry, eyes staying firmly on his face.

“Didn’t we sleep together once?” Niall asks suddenly, and it’s so genuine and with no restrictions and to the point that Harry feels a bit alarmed with the unnerving way Niall’s looking at him, with an indifference that’s cold and harsh but somehow all the more endearing.

“We didn’t,” Harry coughs out, adding, “unfortunately for me.”

“You can come to my place. Liam’s not always here,” Niall says, pressing the buttons of his controller roughly, smiling when Harry misses.

Wait a minute…

“Nice try,” Harry says, pressing the x button on his control with more force, beaming when he beats Niall at another round.

*

“Good game,” Harry says, caution in his voice when Niall meets his eyes. However, it’s a stupid precaution because Niall smiles at him, so hard that Harry can see a small dimple on his left cheek.

“It was okay. Would have been better if I had won one,” Niall says, but he sounds pleased.

“There’s always next time,” Harry says, wanting to retract from his statement as soon as it comes out because what if Niall didn’t want a next time? Had he read this all wrong? Harry wonders.

However, he’s consoled by the way Niall’s looking at him, eyes still cheerful and good-naturedly, nodding at him.

“Fair enough,” Niall beams, face going gentle and Harry wishes that he could ignore the way it causes a fluttering sensation in his chest. 

“Good,” Harry exhales, feeling relieved. He shakes his head lightly, taking one last look at Niall, turning as he makes his way to the door, but freezes once his hand touches the doorknob because the next thing he knows, Niall clears his throat.

“That wasn’t me distracting you.”

Harry tenses up, drawing a quick breath. “What wasn’t?” Harry asks, playing dumb when all he wants to hear are those words from Niall again.

“What I asked you before,” Niall says, face blank but tone sharp.

“I don’t remember,” Harry answers back, trailing off but finding it physically impossible to keep his face neutral.

“Alright, let me ask you again,” Niall sighs, forcing out an even breath. “Do you want to sleep with me?”

There are so many things Harry wants to say to that but he’s temporarily speechless, cheeks flushing into a beautiful pink as his eyes shine brightly.

“Maybe,” Harry manages finally, swallowing.

And it’s when Niall lets out a breathy voice, “yeah?” that Harry can finally see the intrigue shinning in them, thinking that perhaps this is something he could get used to.

But he just nods because as he’s come to learn, sometimes words can’t express what he wants to describe.

*

**Author's Note:**

> Also, I'm on [tumblr](http://arie-172.tumblr.com/).


End file.
